Why Sophia Bush left ‘Chicago P.D.’
Question: Can you give us the story on Sophia Bush leaving “Chicago P.D.”?
Answer: According to Dick Wolf, mastermind of the “Chicago” shows, and Bush herself, who played Erin Lindsay on the series, it was entirely her call to leave. After the series and her long run on “One Tree Hill,” she’s moving up as a star and producer. She has signed a deal with 20th Century Fox Television to “star in an upcoming comedy or drama pilot for the studio as well as develop and executive produce additional projects for the company,” the Hollywood Reporter has said.
Q: I’m a huge fan of Westerns, and I noticed on the last season of “Rawhide” that the actors who played Gil Favor, Mushy and Hey Soos were not part of the cast. What happened to them?
A: The Western now best known for featuring Clint Eastwood originally aired from 1959 to 1966. By 1965, ratings for the show had been in decline, leading to what Eastwood biographer (and Milwaukeean) Patrick McGilligan called “radical changes.” They included the dismissal of Robert Cabal (Hey Soos), James Murdock (Mushy) and Eric Fleming (Gil Favor) — the latter, the show’s star. Eastwood, who had played Rowdy Yates since the show began, became trail boss with some new co-stars for what proved to be the show’s final, abbreviated season.
Q: I recently saw the 1993 movie “Bonanza: The Return” and enjoyed the clips of the original “Bonanza” stars. Michael Landon Jr. played Joe’s son in the movie, but why didn’t Dan Blocker’s son Dirk play Hoss’ son? He was in the film.
A: According to an Entertainment Weekly article in 1993, “Bonanza” creator David Dortort, who was also a producer on “The Return,” thought Dirk Blocker, then 35 years old, was too old to play the son of Hoss, the character played by his father in the original series. He was cast as a reporter instead. (Landon Jr., playing the son of his reallife father’s character, was 29 at the time.)
Write to Rich Heldenfels at P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260 or brenfels @gmail.com. Letters may be edited. Replies are not guaranteed.